Suction nozzle



Sept. 22, 1942.

T. C. BETTS SUCTION NOZZLE Filed Dec: 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Sept. 22, 1942. Tf Q BETTS 2,296,462

SUC'IIION NOZZLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 13, 1940 INVENTOR,

Patented Sept. 22, 1942` sUc'rroN NozzLE Thomas C. Betts, Bronxville, N. Y., assignor to Electrolux Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 13, 1940, Serial No. 369,932

Claims. (Cl. 15-155) My invention relates to suction nozzles and more particularly to nozzles of the type having a relatively large suction opening with a valve to concentrate the ow of air in only a portion of the suction opening.

Suction nozzles for cleaning rugs are provided with elongated suction openings of a size to permit the flow of a volume of air with a suction suflicient to remove embedded dirt from the rug pile. By concentrating the flow of air in a smaller suction opening, the volume of ilow is somewhat reduced but the velocity of the air is increased. This increased air velocity produces a greater force for lifting light material such as hairs, threads, and the like which adhere to the rug surface. This concentrated air ilow has been produced by a valve closing off a portion of the suction opening and directing all of the air through the remaining portion of theopening.

Means have been devised heretofore for operating the valve which require a difficult or awkward manual operation.

In accordance with this invention an improved suction nozzle is provided with a valve for concentrating the air flow which may be operated with a minimum of eiort. Y

What I consider to be novel and myl invention may be better understood by reference to the following specification and appended claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. 1 is a top view of the nozzle broken away in part;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the nozzle;

Fig. 3 is a front sectional view of the nozzle;

Fig. 4is a side sectional View taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig.'6 is a side sectional view taken line 6-6 Vof Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 of one half of the nozzle with the valve in a different position; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the' valve member.

Referring to the drawings, III indicates a nozzle body having a chamber II and three suction slots, a central slot I2, and'two end slots I3 and I4. Chamber II communicates with an elbow I5 secured to body I0. Elbow I5 is rotatable on an axis perpendicular to the lengthwise extent of suction slots I2, I3, and I4 and is adapted forl connection to a flexible hose, not shown, which is connected to a vacuum cleaner. Suction along the an openingy I6 in a wall I1 separating chamber II from slots I2, I3, and I4.

Similarly, suction slots I3 and I4 communicate with chamber II through openings I8 and I9, respectively, in wall I1. Body I0 has a front wall 20 terminating in a smooth lip 2| forming the forward edge of slots I2, I3, and I4. Wall I1 at its bottom end forms a smooth rear lip 22 for slots I2, I3, and I4. A plate 23 secured to body I0 by screws 24 and 25 .forms a bottom and rear wall for chamber II. Elbow I5 is provided with a steel sleeve 26 and is secured bey tween body I0 and plate 23. Slot I3 is separated slot I2 communicates with chamber II through 55 from slot I2 by a transverse wall 2l. Similarly, slot i4 is separated -.from,slot I2 by a transverse wall 28. A slide plate 29 is seated in a recess 39 in wall Il. Plate 29`has an upstanding finger 3l extending through a slot 32 in the top of body It. One or more feet 33 depend from plate 29 a short distance below rear lip 22. As illustrated, feet 33 preferably have rounded front and rear edges so as to oier a minimum of resistance to forward and backward movement of the nozzle over a rug,4 but have straight and unrounded end surfaces in order to oier a substantial resistance to sidewise movement of the feet relative to the rug. A plurality of feetA is prefer-red, inasmuch as this provides additional end surface to engage the rug when the nozzle is moved sidewise. As best indicated in Fig. 8, plate 29- has a central opening 34 and two end openings 35 and 36. When plate 29 is in the position as shown in Fig. 7, opening 34 uncovers opening I6, opening 35 uncovers opening i8 and opening 36 uncovers opening I9.' When plate 29 is in the position asr shown in Fig. 3, end openings I8 and I9 are covered while opening I6 is uncovered by opening 34.

In normal operation the plate 2 9 will be in the position indicated in Fig. 'l with all three suction slots, I2, I3, and I4 communicating with chamber II. This, in effect, produces a single elongated suction slot which will eiiiciently remove embedded dirt and clust from the rug pile. Whenever surface litter is encountered which adheres so tenaciously to the rug that it is not removed in normal'operation, the air flow may be concentrated in the central suction slot I2. This is accomplished by moving the nozzle body III in contact with the rug towards the right when looking at the nozzle from the rear. The depending feet 33 by virtue of their unrounded ends tend to hold plate 29 stationary as the body II) moves to the right because .of the greater relative friction between the feet 33 and rug than chamber I I.

ings I8 and AI9 and thereby concentrating the air iiow in the central suction slot I2 which alone with said suction chamber for concentrating the flow-of air in a portion only of the suction openl communicates -with chamber II through opening I6.- Plate 29 is a slide valve which is operl ated vby friction upon movement of the nozzle transverse tothe normal direction of movement of the nozzle. The valve or plate 29 is returned to its original position .for normal cleaning by a transverse movement of the nozzle body to the ing.

3. A suction nozzle forl cleaning a surface including a body member having a suction opening and a suction chamber, means for connect-Y ing said suction chamber to a source of suction,`

smooth lips formed on said body member'for said suction opening, means sub-dividing said suction opening into a plurality of individual suction slotsA communicating' through .individual openings with said suction chamber, and a slide left which moves plate 29 to the right uncovering all three openingsY I6, I8, and I9. The position of the valve is indicated by the upstanding finger 3l of plate 29. When nger 3| is in the posi.- tion to the extreme right oi slot '32 the yplate 29 is in its normal position with all three .suction slots I2, I3, and I4 in communication with Obviously, the operator couldshift the valve by moving the finger 3| with her hand or foot.

yIt is to be understood that while a preferred form of the invention is illustrated, the inventi'on is not limited to the details of construction as shown but the scope of invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A suction nozzle for cleaning a. surface including a body member having a plurality of suction slots, a sliding plate for `controlling the connection of they suction slots to a source of suction, and a plurality of feet depending from said plate to contact the 'surface being cleaned for moving said Aplate upon movement of the nozzle vrelative to said surface transverse'to the y normal direction of movement.

2. A suction nozzle for cleaning la surface in- 4 cluding a body member having a suction opening ing between the openings communicating with valve interposed between said suction opening and said suction chamber having feet depending below the plane of said lips to contact the i surface being cleaned and adapted to close some of the openings communicating with said suction chamber upon transverse movement of the nozzle relative to said surface to concentrate the ilowV of air through a portion only of the lsuction opening.

said suction chamber, said body member hav- Ving smooth lips extending around said suction l opening, and a jslide valve located between said suction opening and said suction chamber having feet depending below the plane of said lips to contact the surface being cleaned and adapted upontransverse movement of the nozzle in relation to said 'surface to close some of the openings communicating with said suction chamber to concentrate the ilow of air in a portion only of the suction opening.

, 5. A suction nozzle adapted to be moved backward and forward over a rug and including a body member having a pluralityof suction slots, a plate mounted for 4sidewise movement in said body for controlling the connection of the suction slots to a source of suction and a member depending from said plate for engagement with the rug, the front and rear edges of said member being rounded and the side surfaces of said member being. straight.

THOMAS C. BETTS. x

lenga 

